title: Eosinophilic esophagitis in brazilian pediatric patients.
abstract: We examined 11 pediatric patients with eosinophilic esophagitis with a tardy diagnosis. The symptoms were initially thought to be related to other diseases, leading to the use of inadequate therapeutic approaches. The patients were between 3 and 17 years old (mean 7.8 ± 3.8 years), and 8 of the patients were male. Common symptoms included abdominal pain, regurgitation, difficulty in gaining weight, vomiting, dysphagia, and coughing. The mean age for the onset of symptoms was 4.3 ± 2.9 years. Endoscopic findings included normal mucosa in five (45%) patients, thickening of the mucosa with longitudinal grooves in three (27%), erosive esophagitis in two (18%), and a whitish stippling in one (9%) patient. Treatment included the use of a topical corticosteroid for 10 patients. In eight (73%) cases, the treatment made the symptoms disappear. Ten patients underwent histopathological management after treatment, with a decrease in the number of eosinophils.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mayra Isabel Correia
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: Luciano Pamplona
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: de Góes Cavalcanti
authors.forename: Rodrigo Schuler
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Honório
authors.forename: Luís Hélder
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: de Alencar Moreno
authors.forename: Mayara Carvalho
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Fortes
authors.forename: Carlos Antônio Bruno
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: da Silva
keywords: diagnostic; eosinophilia; esophagitis